Floating flip-flops and flying fish

We are now over half way from Jamaica to New York and at this very moment have entered into the ocean sprint on this race.

The race start was delayed for half an hour because the start line was due to be between a marker buoy and a small Jamaican Naval vessel just off the coast. The sea bed dropped away very quickly and the captain could not get an anchor line down to keep him in position. So in the end he just held his position by motoring into the wind in order to be stationary for the start.

We raced up towards Windward Passage which separates Cuba and Haiti. Care is needed as there is a 12 mile advised exclusion from Cuba, perhaps due to the location of Guantanamo Bay?

At this point the wind was constant but lowish and we made steady but not outstanding progress. The sea became dotted with a considerable amount of debris, some natural,  some man-made. Quite a lot of plastic was present and one could only think that as we were between two of the poorer nations here that pollution of the sea was not on their agenda or that there had been considerable amounts of rainfall bringing down debris from inland areas.

Being sat at the guardrail for some time, I noticed that an amount of
footwear was passing and decided to count it. In a three hour period I
counted 10 items ranging from flip-flops to boots. Moreover, I noted that

some floated upright whereas flip-flops were normally upside down. Now you know I have really lost my marbles out here.

I can report that a little later in the race, I became a member of a fairly
exclusive club, The Hit By Flying Fish Club. We had seen no wildlife since
Panama, not even birds, whereas the Pacific had yielded all sorts. Many
squid had leapt on board at night and we had seen flying fish zooming over
the sea surface.

We were on night watch and as I manned one of the winches, I felt something
hit my arm followed by the sound of flapping. My head torch revealed a
flying fish at my feet. My nose confirmed this fact as they are very
smelly. The gardening glove was called for and the poor chap was retrieved
and thrown back, hopefully in time for him/her to continue their maritime
life.

Young Henry, for some reason, brought a pink tutu on board and has worn it
several times about the boat. However, it was more resplendent yesterday
when we came on watch and saw Yasmine modeling it around her sun hat and
looking every bit ready to go to Ascot Races.

You may have guessed that there have been some elements of levity recently,
but these have been short lived as we have been totally focused on try to
make our Heidi go forward in very very little wind. We got down to half a
knot at one point. This was coupled with a tropics-like day, searing heat,
sweaty bunks (sorry) and the need to drink at least 3 litres on any daytime
watch.

Further domestic havoc came when someone announced that we had a crack in
some piping in one of the heads (loo). From that point we have been
operating a simple process, Number Ones only in the aft heads, Ones and
Twos in the forward. You may think it odd that I report such matters but it
is very real when living with 20 people in accommodation that is barely
bigger than a large caravan.

Having mentioned the one very hot day, we are now experiencing some lower
temperatures and we are now wearing windproof jackets over our sailing T
shirts at night. Some folks have even talked about wrapping their sleeping
bags around then at night.

So onward with the racing. New York is about four days away if we get good
winds, and several people are getting quite excited as they will be seeing friends and family. Some have not seen any for many months. We will also
say goodbye to a number of leggers and welcome aboard new crew.

Oh and by the way, why is it called the Big Apple? We have come up with
many answers but we are not sure which is correct.

Best wishes to you all.

Malcolm

NOTE: For those reading this via email update, don't forget to visit the blog at https://malclipper.blogspot.com where you can pledge support via donations to Malcolm's chosen charities - the Bobby Moore Fund tackling bowel cancer; the James Whale Fund for kidney cancer; and Prostate Cancer UK. 

CAVEAT: This may not be the actual flying fish mentioned in the story

Jamaica - a bold race strategy

I wrote earlier about the eventful first day of the race to Jamaica. Well what a race it turned out to be. Our skipper had taken a bold decision and we went a long way east before tacking to give us a straight run up to the north east tip of the country before turning west to do the last 50 miles to the line. We were in last position for some time before the benefits took hold. Gradually our position moved up the field until, in the last 12 hours or so, we had moved to third. We could see the leaders about 4 miles ahead and were clawing our way towards them. However we could not do any more but were thrilled to be third. First and second were separated by just 31 seconds after 3 days racing. Wow.

I was elated to be in 3rd. This was only the second time Switzerland had been on the podium since the start of the race in September. This was a tribute to the bravery of our skipper in developing the strategy and to the focus and hard work of the crew.

It is now a week later. We have deep cleaned the boat, an arduous task, and have spent a day on maintenance. I have taken the two compass towers to pieces to clean and grease the chains that link the helm wheels to the rudders. This was rather nerve wracking but I can report that both compasses read the same so we should go in the right direction which ever helm wheel we use (there are two helming wheels on Heidi).

We were then able to have a few days to rest and sightsee some of Jamaica. I can say that it can really rain here. We have arrived in one of the two wettest months. Never will I complain about rain at home. However, Jamaican rain is warm and you soon dry off.

Today we have been briefed on the race to New York and we start at pm on Saturday Some of the way will be difficult as winds will be fickle in some areas according to forecasts. We will be sailing both up and downwind so different skills will be needed and many sail changes are expected.

Oh and yes, its goodbye to a lovely bed for up to 10 days. Arrival in New York will be between May 30th and June1st

Goodbye from Jamaica.

The Panama Canal

In my haste to describe the early stages of the race to Jamaica, I inadvertently missed out any information on the Panama Canal. I had not done a lot of research on this before I left, but had seen some coverage on TV of the work being undertaken to widen the canal to take even larger ships.

We slipped our lines at the marina at 6.30am and made our way out to sea to meet up with two more Clipper yachts. The area is a little like an NCP car park for all sizes of vessels

There is a wide channel marked for the approach and a couple of very large container ships approached as we circled waiting for our pilot to arrive at 8.30. The plan was for us to go through the locks as three boats rafted up together, PSP Logistics in the middle flanked by Quingdao and ourselves.

Each boat has to have a pilot aboard, whether you are 70ft long in our case or over 900ft long with some of the biggest vessels. Our pilot was Edgar who was a high ranking pilot of 17 years experience. He had previously been a captain on vessels for BP and had done much of his studying in the north west of England where he gained his captain's ticket.

At our allotted time, ( our slot was at 11am) we started up the channel in single file. I was absolutely delighted when our skipper asked me to take the helm and to take us under the Americas Bridge which is the only vehicular connection between North and South America.

As we continued further, a massive container port opened up on our starboard side. The two large vessels ahead of us had docked here for unloading. This container port had been put out on a lease basis by Panama and currently China have the 20 year lease. Edgar informed us that they had outbid the US by a considerable margin.

We then made our way towards the Miraflores Locks. As we approached, we rafted up together and the skipper of PSP took control of "the raft". The enormity of the locks then became evident. As they opened, we were thrown lines by men on the lock sides and we attached our lines to thes so that they could take them up and secure us to the lock sides. The pilot's guidance was critical here as the incoming water to lift us created swirling eddies in the lock which could throw us against the lock walls. Once secure, we were joined in the lock by a magnificent three master. The pilot's schedule stated that she was a warship. She was actually the training ship for the Argentinian Navy. At this point we were being lifted. For larger vessels, rather than men manhandling our lines, there were donkeys on each side of the lock to pull the vessels into position. They were like small locomotives working on a rack and pinion like mechanism.

On the left hand side of the lock was the control building, proudly displaying the dates, 1914 - 2014 to celebrate the 100th year of the canal. This was repeated at each lock and what a special feeling it gave us to transit the canal in this anniversary year.

Once we had been lifted and the massive gates opened, we then proceeded to the Pedro Miguel Locks to be raised even further. Again all the careful positioning was done. We marvelled at the size of some of the ships coming through the locks in the opposite direction. Huge car transporters designed specifically for the canal. In size, we felt like the flea on the camel's back.

Again we exited the locks and moved into a wider channel. The three yachts were released from each other and motored on in single file. At this point, the 'canal' becomes more like a wide river until you come to the Gatun Lake. Rivers and waterways branch off on each side and we see large vessels anchored up awaiting their time to be called through or to discharge goods at a number of unloading bays or terminals. The surroundings are beautiful with rainforests sweeping down to the shores of the lake. We see birdlife but did not spot any of the many crocodiles that inhabit this area.

A number of our crew get hoisted up the mast to view the scenery and for some to take photographs.

We motor for several hours across the lake until it is time to raft up again for our final set of locks, the Gatun Locks which will lower us down to the level of the Caribbean and Atlantic seas and ocean.

By the time we exit, it is dark and we leave the canal at 7pm, disengage the three boats and make our way through another ' car park' of vessels, all lit up and head for Shelter Bay Marina. Spotting the lit marker buoys for this is difficult amongst the many other lights but we end our day safely. Edgar had been transferred to a pilots vessel after the last docks and was probably at home before we moored up.

During our journey through, we saw evidence of all the new work going on to build new channels and locks to accommodate the new, huge super liners that will use the Panama Canal and which will increase efficiency and safety of passage.

I have not included all the data on heights and lengths of locks, the managment of water and other factors. I encourage you to do a little research on the internet to obtain these facts and to marvel at the way the canal was built, but also to acknowledge the huge death toll during its construction.

I have been so lucky to have seen this place and in its 100th year and will follow its further development with interest.

Next time, I will let you know more details about the race to Jamaica.

Presentation of the third place pennant

The race to Jamaica begins...

CRASH BANG WALLOP, What a 24 hours!

We left Shelter Bay Marina on the Atlantic side of Panama at 7pm on the 13th May along with 8 other boats. We motored through the night until we got to a location at sea where the next race would start. Three boats were still transiting the Canal and during the night they emerged and joined us.

At 7 am we were to have a Le Mans start. This is done by one of the skippers being the starter. Ten minutes from the off, all the boats come into a line. We all have our mainsails up and the staysail and Yankee 2 sail (both foresails) hanked on but tied down on the deck. All the crew have to be at the back of the boat behind the foremost grinder and we wait for the start signal. Count down comes over the VHF radio from the lead skipper and with one minute to go engines have to be turned off. The start signal comes over the radio and the crew rush forward to their stations. Harry Schack (a journalist) and I are sweating up (hoisting) the staysail. We hammer into action and soon the sail is up. I shout "Staysail lock and load" which means that another crew member gets the staysail sheet (rope) on a winch and grinds it up tight.

We are off. For ten minutes we can only stay on the course taken from the start. Then in the dark we start to see some of our competitors' strategies unfold as they change direction.

The winds are blowing from he north east and that is the direction we need to go. So we are beating into a wind which is "on our nose". This leads to a very bumpy ride as the boat rises over waves and crashes down into the troughs. The boat is also at 45 degrees. Bang, bang bang. Getting about the boat is difficult. We have a rope across the saloon/galley and it can take a few minutes to ascend the 20 feet from one side to the other at these crazy angles.

We then go off watch to try to get a couple of hours sleep. Not easy with the noise, the leaning and trying to not fall out of the bunks.

We are up again at 12 midday and have lunch and do a handover from the other watch. We are not operating normal mother watches so meals are prepared one at a time, not the meals for the whole day. So someone has to wash up. I am asked to do this. Washing up at 45 degrees to perpendicular in a small sink whilst pumping seawater in to do this is quite a task.

Half way through, up goes the shout, "get the Yankee 2 up from the sail locker Malcolm and get on deck for a racing sail change". Folke and I heave this massive sail up through a hatchway onto the deck. Then I get up on deck to help bring one sail down and then sweat the new one up. It’s warm and sweat pours from all my body. Once done its back to 45 degree washing up. Meanwhile the banging and crashing continues.

After one night watch, 10pm ‘til 2am, we are awoken to get up and do the 6am to midday 6 hour watch. We sit upon the high side and look down the almost side of a cliff to the sea rushing by and crashing over the lower side of the boat

The wind is increasing and we put two reefs into the mainsail to reduce its size. Soon the wind is over 30 knots and we are overpowered on the foresail. "Lets go to the Yankee 3" so we heave it up from the sail locker and start to hank it on. There are 4 of us on the foredeck working on this sail. I am number 4 and we are all getting sodden by the waves crashing over the bow. Suddenly something goes wrong and part of the sail goes into the sea. This is bad and we shout for more hands. There then ensued a 30 minute battle to retrieve the sail, get it tied down and get the crew back to the back of the boat. We are all soaked to the skin, most of us in sailing shorts and sailing shirts. We crawl back to the cockpit exhausted and take stock. It was so wet that two of the guys at the front had their lifejackets go off!

The wind started to reduce a little so we were back into action, shaking the reefs out. We never did hoist the Yankee 3 and so put it into its bag and put it down below again. Just for reference I would say the sail weighs 3 or 4 hundredweight when dry and more when wet.

So that is the first 29 hours of this race. Good job this one is only over 3 days. I must sleep now. Who knows what will happen on the next watch. What I do know is that the banging and crashing will not stop me going to sleep!

A flooded engine, a fire hose and a real shower...

Hello from Panama. It’s been quite a journey to get here. Normal service has been resumed after I lost about a day with fatigue and dehydration. We were heading for the final finish line and I had been involved with a number of sail hoists and dropping. This uses a lot of energy because as one of the bigger guys, I get to haul the sails up and lift them on and off deck. Also, I was down below wooling the spinnaker. All of this was done in very hot conditions and I hadn't taken in sufficient liquid. So I had to spend a little time recovering from heat and exhaustion, mostly in the sail locker, lying on top of the sails (its the coolest place) with a wet towel over me to aid cooling. I now regularly take in 8 litres of fluid per day with added salts and minerals.

I am fully recovered and continue to work hard on the boat. Following the finish, we had a long way to get to Panama to get our slots for our transit through the canal. Firstly we had to motor to Costa Rica to get fuel. This was no big port or harbour we were going to, but Banana Bay Marina in Golfino Bay. Marina is also perhaps rather a misnomer. It was a bar with space for three of our boats and one ladies loo and one mens! We were allowed into the building only after our skipper presented all our passports and went through a very lengthy administrative process. This was all because we were not entering the country. Some 6 hours later, refuelled, we set off sailing into the night.

The next morning, we were on deck at 6 am and set about a number of jobs which would have us looking in good order as we arrive in Panama. One was to clean the deck using the fire hose. Then disaster struck. I was at the helm and the engine cut out. To cut a long story short, someone had made an error with a valve which led to a pressure build up on the water supply from the engine to the hose. Connections blew and the engine compartment flooded. We went into emergency mode getting the water out and contacted one of our competitors close by. They joined us as we assessed our position. Fortunately the wind had got up and we hoisted relevant sails. We sailed for many miles but with the knowledge that our engine may be irreparably damaged. Would we get to Panama in time and was a fix possible? Well, we made good time until the winds died. At this point, our accompanying boat, OneDLL took us in tow. This is a tricky manouever and requires high concentration  from the helm of the towed boat. Several of my crew mates took turns at this.

We arrived in Panama at 4pm Saturday and the Clipper engineer was straight onto the boat to start working on the engine. That was yesterday. We went off to a local hotel to have a comfortable night after 20 plus days on board. A shower. Oh the ecstasy. A flushing toilet. Ahhh. A large bed which did not require me to undertake aerial gymnastics to get into it. Heaven!

Back at the boat this morning, we gathered to do the deep clean. We got the news that the engine fired up but our alternator has broken. However this will not delay us and a replacement may be available at the other end of the Canal. What of the deep clean? Well in 32 degrees we worked for 4 hours and got most of it done. Vast volumes of antibacterial spray is used on living areas. All the bunk mattresses are taken on deck and sprayed. The galley was scrubbed clean as were the bilges. Essential rigging checks were made when one of the guys was hauled up to the top of the 90ft mast. More food was purchased and stowed away in our freshly cleaned freezer chests.

So tomorrow brings one of the highlights. We get back on board at 6.30am and slip lines. A Canal pilot comes on board and we head for the Canal entrance along with two other Clipper yachts. Six went through today. It is quite possible that we will follow a massive container ship through, but we can only wait and see. The first bit will be passing under the Americas Bridge which is the only vehicular connection between North and South America. Wow!

So I hope you have found our adventure exciting. We have got soaked to the skin in squalls, seen more dolphins, a whale, turtles and seabirds and tomorrow will see a man made spectacle to contrast with nature's.

I will be back to you once we have raced to Jamaica and will report on the Panama Canal experience.

Fair winds to you all.

Malcolm

Race completed, time for a sit down!

The frustration of no wind

We are now down to a point off Honduras and the heat gets hotter and the wind gets less. For this race the Race Director has set three different finishing lines so that if we all get becalmed in the doldrums and wind holes, he can call a halt to the race and be able to award positions. So how is this done? Well all twelve boats have crossed the first finish line. What they have to do is to take a photograph of the GPS at the moment they cross the latitude set. At the same time the photo will show the actual time. All boats then send in their photos by e-mail to the Clipper Race HQ.

The boats then continue to the next line as quickly as possible and the same operation is undertaken.

Now, the second race led to quite some frustration on our part yesterday.

We were doing everything we could in light winds to get close to the line. We had to gybe several times and then change sails. I and my watch mates came on deck at 10pm last night and the wind immediately died. We could do nothing but sit there and bob about for four hours. We then handed over to the other watch and the wind came up and they crossed the finish line. How frustrating.

We must now wait until the last boat crosses the line before Clipper could announce the result. However the last boat still has about 160 miles to go. It really is strange to know that we will have to wait another day or so before we know the result. But the Race Director may make us go for the third finish line. The key will be whether we can make the Panama Canal for our time to get through.

Apologies for the length of this more technical blog, but I thought that I should explain some of the rules of ocean racing.

I now will get into my bunk and try to seep for 5 hours max. in what can only be described as a sauna.

Best wishes to you all from the Pacific near Central America.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: In addition to all the fascinating technical news shared here, Malcolm has declared himself an honorary member of the ‘Bilge Suckers and Sludge Pumpers Association’ owing to some of the less glamorous work he’s having to do on the facilities ‘down below’. The very definition of ‘mucking in’! It seems there are no lengths our intrepid sailor won’t go to for his all-important chosen charities.  For those reading this via email update, don't forget to visit the blog at https://malclipper.blogspot.com where you can pledge support through donations to Malcolm's chosen charities via links on the right hand side of the page - the Bobby Moore Fund tackling bowel cancer; the James Whale Fund for kidney cancer; and Prostate Cancer UK. 

Malcolm taking it easy as usual